Unbidden Praise
by GreyLiliy
Summary: Izuku hadn't been aware that unbidden praise from Kacchan would have such an effect on his composure, but after a compliment or two from Kacchan, he sure knows now! Izuku's not sure his heart (or self control) can take it if Kacchan keeps being so nice.
1. Chapter 1

_I wanted to prove I could write fluff again and here we are. Fluff. The fluffiest of fluff fluff…actually it ended up more humor than anything and it got a tad angsty at the end as it leads into part two, but whatever. It's sure lighter than most of what else I write._

 _This is definitely inspired by how dopey Izuku gets whenever Katsuki even remotely acknowledges him. I'm not usually into Praise Kink, but Deku's got one. And props to my brother for coming up with the twist ending. That was all him and I'm mad I didn't think of it. XD_

 _This'll probably be two parts, so thanks for reading the first and look forward to the second. :D_

* * *

 **Unbidden Praise**

"Hey, Deku," Kacchan said. He reached up and lightly tugged on a green curl at the side of Izuku's head. It slipped through Kacchan's fingers as he let go. Kacchan smiled—a genuine, warm smile—and said, "Your hair looks nice today. Whatever you did to it this morning, you should keep doing it."

Izuku's head still felt the tingle from where Kacchan had touched him, unable to speak as the words refused to come out. He felt like he'd been hit upside the head by one of All Might's punches from the shock and his pulse quickened.

By the time his brain caught up with the embarrassment of being caught off guard by Kacchan's random praise, the other had walked away.

"What was that?" Izuku whispered.

He touched his hand to his head, digging the fingers into the soft curls and put his other hand to his chest. His heart was beating fast; his cheeks felt flushed. He looked at his reflection in one of the windows on his walk to school and squinted. Izuku looked the same as usual. So why did Kacchan say his hair looked nice today?

And even if he thought it, why did he bother to say it at all?

Izuku shook his head and slapped his cheeks.

Whatever the reason, it had to be a one time thing. Kacchan might be feeling off this morning and said aloud something he usually kept to himself.

Izuku shouldn't mention it.

It'd be worse if Kacchan realized what he'd said and took it back.

* * *

"Nice move, Deku!" Kacchan yelled across the training field. He shot Izuku a proud smile and put his hands on his hips. "You've been practicing that, right? It was way faster than last time I saw you do it!"

"Y-yes," Izuku stammered. He shuffled from one foot to the other, looking away from Kacchan's proud gaze. He smiled as he stared at the ground, wringing his hands together and said, "I did."

His heart then did that thing where it beat faster, which Izuku did not need when his pulse was already elevated from training. Kacchan said a final "Great work!" before returning to his own spar with Kirishima. Izuku stared after them and put his hand to his chest again.

Two compliments. In the same day.

One for his looks and one for his training.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked. He flicked the gathered ice off his fingertips and crossed his arms "You're red."

"I am?" Izuku asked. He pulled off his glove and put his hand to his cheek. It felt overheated and he had to be blushing. Again. "I guess I am."

Todoroki looked at Izuku and back over to where Kacchan was still fighting with Kirishima. He shouted "Nice!" but the exact words Kacchan were saying were lost in the haze of Izuku repeating "Your hair looks nice" and "Nice move, Deku" one after the other.

He felt warm and fuzzy inside; almost giddy hearing those words come from Kacchan's lips from such a kind smile.

"Do you want to take a break?" Todoroki asked, raising his eyebrows. He looked Izuku over and said, "I can wait if you need a minute?"

"I'm good!" Izuku shouted. He waved his hands and got back into position. "Let's finish the sparring session. I'm better with that last move, but I still want to practice it more."

"Alright," Todoroki said. He gathered his fire in one hand and said, "I need more practice myself."

Izuku cleared his head and dove back into the early morning training. He wasn't sure what was up with Kacchan, but two moments were nice.

He still wouldn't mention the odd behavior.

Kacchan might stop.

* * *

"You're really good at that, aren't you?" Kacchan said, putting his hand on the desk, leaning over Izuku's shoulder. The base of his ribs and abs touched Izuku's side as he leaned, firm and too, too close.

Izuku finished the full body shiver that started at soon as the word "good" left Kacchan's mouth and stared at his desk. Izuku whispered, "Good at what?"

"Drawing," Kacchan said. He put his other hand on Izuku's opposite shoulder and moved the hand on the desk to point to the sketch he'd been working on of Uraraka's Quirk release pose. "You always make diagrams with your notes and you've gotten a lot better."

"Practice helps," Izuku said. He shifted his thighs as his body continued pummeling his senses with the sound of Kacchan calling him "Good." Izuku swallowed thickly, closing his hand into a fist to hide how clammy they'd become. Izuku felt nervous and sick and boy did he want to hear Kacchan say that again. He mumbled, "Thanks."

Kacchan straightened and ruffled Izuku's hair. "It almost makes me wonder what else you're good at that I didn't notice."

Izuku slammed a hand between his legs on the chair and sucked in a breath. That had been just vague enough for his body to take it the wrong way.

Did Kacchan even know what effect his praise was having on Izuku? He had to. Kacchan always knew what he was doing.

However, why Kacchan wanted Izuku flustered and on the verge of jumping out of his chair to tackle the other into a hug and never let go, he had no clue.

"I'm sure you'll show me in time all the things you can do well," Kacchan said, patting Izuku's back. He walked back to his desk to grab his bag. He threw it over his shoulder and put a hand in his pocket. "That's pretty much your status quo these days."

Izuku didn't answer; his throat had swelled with his emotions.

"See you tomorrow," Kacchan said. He tapped Izuku's desk and snorted. "Don't stay too late after class working on those. You're meeting your friends this afternoon, aren't you?"

"Yes, we're watching a movie." Izuku sat up. Kacchan had paid attention to that? He remembered? First the compliments, then an interest in his life—Was Kacchan trying to be friends again?

That had to be it. Izuku felt his chest tighten in joy at the thought they were finally breaking the barrier between them. Kacchan wanted to be friends again and he had jumped into it with the same bravado and boldness he put into everything else that he was doing.

Izuku almost cried on the spot.

"See you, Deku," Kacchan repeated. He knocked his elbow playfully into Kirishima as they left the room, chatting with smiles.

Izuku slumped in his chair, his heart still beating too fast and his ears ringing with kind words.

* * *

After the movie, where thankfully neither Uraraka, Iida, or Todoroki noticed anything wrong despite the whirlwind of thoughts running through his mind, Izuku closed the door of his dorm room and ran through the day again.

Kacchan had said his hair looked good.

Izuku sat on the bed.

Then Kacchan had said he'd been good at sparing, complimenting his moves and training ethic.

That had also been nice to hear.

Their last encounter had been the kicker and the one still fresh in his memory: "You're really good at that, aren't you?"

Izuku bit his lip and put his hands between his legs on the mattress. He fell on his side and squeezed his thighs around his arms.

His imagination had no problems taking that phrase and twisting it into whatever he wanted. It was vague enough and left so much room for more things that Izuku wanted to hear.

He wanted a thousand things in place of the "that" in the sentence.

"You're really good at making me smile, aren't you?"

"You're really good at making me feel good, aren't you?"

"You're really good at—"

Izuku cut his own thoughts off and flushed as the additional thought came to mind, covering his mouth. That might be getting too far ahead of himself.

But it had been good.

So, so very good to be called "Good."

He groaned and rolled over, grabbing his pillow and shoving it over his head. If Kacchan kept up complimenting him so much every day, Izuku wasn't sure how much his heart could take it.

He'd already gotten this excited from something so little. From one little phrase: "Good."

Izuku vowed not to say a word about it to Kacchan.

As much as he dreaded how he'd be able to keep his composure if Kacchan continued, he dreaded the thought that he might stop even more.

Kacchan being nice—saying nice things—was a literal miracle and Izuku cherished it. When they were children, Kacchan had been nicer, but he'd never told Izuku he was "good" at anything.

This was all new and all nice and Izuku shifted his hips into the bed, returning to thinking about the things Kacchan had said all day as he settled in for the night.

He wondered what Kacchan would say in the morning.

* * *

Izuku didn't see Kacchan on his way to school, but he got to class in record time as his eagerness to see Kacchan took over his thoughts. Izuku burst into the room and spotted the blond next to Kirishima's desk.

"Morning, Kacchan!" Izuku said, waving. He walked over, perhaps pushing his luck by starting the conversation, but Kacchan and been nice yesterday—he had to at least want to be friends again. "How are you?"

"Buzz off, Deku," Kacchan said, snarling over his shoulder. "I'm busy."

Izuku stopped and stared, dropping his hand. "What?"

"I said, buzz off," Kacchan said, reaching over and flicking Izuku in the head. He turned back to Kirishima and said, "Where's that asshole, Kaminari? He needs to pay up."

"Pay up?" Kirishima asked. "What are you talking about?"

Kacchan sneered and crossed his arms. He tilted his head back and his hair fell in his face which wore his usual scowl. There was no sign of the kindness and openness that had been there yesterday. "That loser probably didn't want to pay up because he knows I won."

"Won?" Izuku asked, his heart tightening worse in his chest. "Won what?"

"None of your business," Kacchan said. He snapped his head up as the odor opened again and yelled, "Kaminari! I did it! You pay up!"

"I don't believe you!" Kaminari said, stomping over. He crossed his arms and frowned. "There's no way you did it. Not all day."

"Ask the twerp!" Kacchan said, pointing at Izuku. He turned to Izuku and asked, "Was I mean to you at all yesterday?"

"No," Izuku said. He snapped his head between Kacchan and Kaminari and whispered, "What's going on?"

"Dammit!" Kaminari said, throwing his hands up and ruffling his own hair. Small electric static sparked and he growled. "I didn't think you could do it."

"Do what!" Kirishima yelled in Izuku's place. He rubbed the back of his head and stared. "What are you two talking about?"

"I bet Bakugou a hundred bucks that he couldn't be nice for a day," Kaminari said. He crossed his arms and pouted. "I tipped the odds in my favor by specifying he had to be verbally and especially nice to Midoriya since he's usually the worst to him."

"Why'd you take that bet?" Kirishima asked. "It's not like you need the money."

"Because I insulted his pride," Kaminari said, flushing and looking to the side. "He did turn me down at first, but then I said he was just avoiding it because he couldn't do it, so he took the bet."

"And I succeeded beyond the original stipulations of the bet," Kacchan said. "So pay up."

"Shit," Kaminari said. He dug in his pockets for his wallet and opened it toward his face, so that no one could see how much money he had. "Goodbye, savings."

"Wait!" Izuku yelled. He grabbed the side of Kacchan's blazer and tugged it. His eyes watered and the tears he'd inherited from his mother fell down his cheeks. "Are you saying you were only nice to me yesterday because of a bet? All those nice things you said were just a lie? You don't want to be friends again?"

Kacchan's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. He stood speechless and the shock stayed on his face.

"Ha!" Kaminari shouted. "That means I win after all!"

"What are you on about now?" Kacchan asked, the irritation returning to his face. Izuku continued to clutch to his blazer, his hand trembling. "You just don't want to pay up."

"No, no," Kaminari said, smirking. "The way I see it, pretending to be nice all day and then taking it all back was in fact very cruel! So you were being meaner than usual yesterday, so therefore, I win the bet."

"Bullshit," Kacchan said.

"That doesn't matter!" Izuku yelled! He shoved Kacchan away and sniffed. "You're both idiots."

"Hell," Kacchan said under his breath as Kaminari said, "Oops."

Izuku ignored them both and went back to his desk. He wiped off his face with his sleeves and gathered himself together enough for class to start.

Kacchan eventually took his seat in front of Izuku, glancing at him over his shoulder. He looked subdued, maybe even guilty.

Good.

Izuku was going to use that.

Because he was going to get Kacchan to call him "Good" at something one more time before the day was over.

Izuku had earned it.


	2. Chapter 2

_My headcanon that Katsuki is a hardcore gamer continues to maintain its presence in my fics. It's his weakness and I embrace it._

 _As the chapter went on, I realized it should be broken up into two chapters, so that's what I'm going to do. This is now a three part fic instead of a two part. (I should know better by now than to set chapters…)_

 _It didn't turn out quite how I originally thought it would, but I think this turned out better Thanks for reading. :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Did you mean any of it?"

Kacchan glared as Izuku sat his lunch tray next to his, boldly claiming the empty seat next to Kacchan. He shoved his food around and asked, "Did I mean any of what?"

"The nice things you said about me yesterday," Izuku said. Kaminari looked away, suspiciously interested in his own lunch and nothing else. Kirishima, who sat next to him, snorted and Ashido giggled, likely having been filled in on the details. Izuku kept his eyes on Kacchan. "Did you mean any of it or were they just random things you came up with while you were pretending to be nice?"

"They weren't lies," Kacchan said. He ate a bite of rice with his spicy chicken and scowled. Kacchan smirked and licked the side of his teeth. "But I had to work to come up with those compliments, so don't feel flattered."

Izuku crossed his arms on the counter. He watched the side of Kacchan's face and moved to put his plan into action. "So you meant it when you said I was good at drawing and kept surprising you with new things?"

"Yes, you're a decent artist," Kacchan said, "so's half the class."

He left the other part unanswered.

That was fine.

Izuku wasn't finished yet.

"And that means you think I'm showing improvement in my training, right?" Izuku asked. Kaminari snickered across from him, yelping when Kirishima elbowed him and Kacchan kicked him under the table. "You weren't lying when you said I did well in training yesterday?"

"Yes, you showed some damn improvement fighting Half-and-half," Kacchan said. He slouched over his meal and sighed, shoving more food in his mouth. "I wouldn't be too proud, though, because that's what you're supposed to be doing, idiot."

Izuku's mouth twitched as he smiled.

Time for the finishing blow.

"Kacchan."

"What, Deku?"

Izuku put his chin on his hand, leaning his elbow on the table. He curled a few strands of his hair around his finger and smiled bright. "Do you really think my hair looks good?"

Kacchan choked on his next bite of lunch and cleared his throat until he could breathe again. He got up from the table, grabbing his tray and stormed out without another word.

Kaminari whistled and said, "Wow, he must really like your hair."

Izuku smiled and finished his lunch.

It wasn't verbal praise, but Izuku would take it.

* * *

"What do you want now?" Kacchan asked, shoving his things in his bag. Izuku had cornered him at the end of the day. He'd politely asked Kaminari, Kirishima and the rest of Kacchan's friends to give them some alone time and they were just amused enough to allow it. Kacchan, however, did not share the appreciation. "I get it. The bet was stupid and we shouldn't have messed with your feelings or whatever. It's done."

"I wanted to talk with you," Izuku said. He put his arms behind his back, holding his hands together. "You gave me a lot of hope yesterday and even if it was over something fake, I still want us to connect more."

"If you're expecting me to be that nice all the time, you're delusional," Kacchan said. He threw his bag over his shoulder and headed for the classroom door. Izuku followed him, trailing next to him all the way out of the building. "We are not walking back together, Deku."

"I think we are," Izuku said. He gave Kacchan his best hurt expression and said, "I really want to talk about it. It won't hurt you to come over and spend some time with me for an evening."

"Will it make you leave me alone?" Kacchan asked.

Izuku said, "If you still want me to afterwards."

"You've got fifteen minutes," Kacchan said. He shot Izuku a glare out of the corner of his eye and huffed. "Then we forget all this happened."

"If you still want to," Izuku said.

Kacchan rolled his eyes to the side and shoved his hands in his pockets.

* * *

Kacchan dropped his things at the end of Izuku's bed and sat on the mattress. He leaned back, sprawling out. "Your fifteen minutes start now."

Izuku admired the sight of Kacchan on his bed before he cleared his throat and got straight to the point: "I really liked it when you praised me and I want to hear more, even if you don't mean it."

"Huh?" Kacchan gaped. He snapped his mouth shut and his scowl grew with his confusion.

"You don't have to say it where anyone can hear," Izuku said. He'd thought about his request all day during school. His renewed friendship with Kacchan would come about in time anyway, so he might as well focus on his immediate wants. "Or I could even just record it once and that'll be fine."

"Record what?" Kacchan continued staring at Izuku, head tilted in confusion.

"You complimenting me," Izuku said, glancing to the side. "What you say doesn't necessarily have to be true as long as it's positive and you're the one saying it."

"You are making zero sense right now."

"Kacchan," Izuku said. He felt his voice strain as he swallowed. Thoughts of last night and replaying a few simple phrases had done wonders and he wanted it to happen again before the words grew fuzzy and he couldn't remember the exact pitch and tone of Kacchan's voice. "I really, really liked hearing you compliment me and I want to hear it again. I'll bargain for it if I have to."

"Bargain?" Kacchan's face went blank. "Bargain with what?"

"I could um, say nice things about you in return," Izuku offered. He had plenty of compliments that he could pull out of his notebooks if he needed to. "How does that sound?"

"You've been praising me since we were four," Kacchan said. He rolled his fingers, his palm sparking with his Quirk. "It's all white noise at the best and an annoyance at the worst. Try again with something else to offer if you want this so bad."

"Well what do you want?" Izuku said. "I am willing to do a lot for this."

Even things that shouldn't be mentioned in polite company.

If Kacchan wanted it.

"Before we get to that," Kacchan said, holding his hand up. "Why do you want this? Really."

"Personal use," Izuku said. He rubbed the side of his arm and felt the blush rise on his cheeks. "I'm not admitting to more than that."

Kacchan got the picture, his face bursting into red at the suggestion.

He got up and grabbed his things. "We're not doing this. Fifteen minutes are up right now and I don't care how much time has actually passed."

"No, Kacchan. Wait!" Izuku yelled, grabbing his arm. They were best friends. They could let something like this come between them, couldn't they? It was a friend thing. A beneficial friend…thing. Izuku stopped the denial and stuck with the truth. "I really want this. Name it. I'll do it!"

"No," Kacchan said, tugging on his arm. "Stop."

Izuku needed to play hardball. He'd only had one day of compliments, a day and a half of realizing that he found something that clicked in the best way, and he could not let this chance slip through his fingers.

He needed this.

"Video game!" Izuku blurted. Kacchan's arm twitched under his hold and Izuku pounced on the weakness. "I have a copy of the limited edition All Might fighting game that came out when we were eight. If you do this, you can have it."

Kacchan looked down his arm at Izuku eyes wide. "You do not have a copy of that game. It costs a fortune to get ahold of."

Izuku was well aware of its current market value.

Katsuki had wanted the game when it came out, but it had sold out by the time he saved up enough money to buy it. Since then, the copies had only gone up and up in price and in fewer quantity until they were at a price point that not even a hardcore All Might fan like Kacchan or himself could afford. Kacchan had been frustrated that the game was out of reach, but got over it quickly enough. On the surface. But Izuku knew Kacchan looked for it in used game bins whenever he had a chance, just in case someone had no idea what they had.

Kacchan still really wanted that game.

"My mom got it for me as a surprise when we were kids. For my birthday. She got it when it came out and then saved it for later," Izuku said. He squeezed Kacchan's arm and said, "I didn't tell you I had it because I knew you'd be upset I got it when you didn't and we both know you wouldn't have accepted it as a gift."

Or that's what Izuku and told himself at the time. In reality, his selfish inner collector knew he'd never get a shot at owning it himself again and held on tight to the limited edition item like the treasure it was.

But now that he was older and had other priorities (and could visit the real All Might any time he wanted), it was a sacrifice Izuku was willing to make.

"Prove it," Kacchan said.

Izuku dropped his arm and went to the closet. He shoved a few boxes out of the way and tugged over a small lockbox. He popped it open and sorted through a few collector cards and other rare items that weren't for display until he had better cases and picked up the copy of the game. He held it up behind him and watched Kacchan's eyes widen with want.

"You'd give that to me," Kacchan said. His shaking hand touched the box and grabbed it, flipping over to read the back. "For what? Saying some nice things in private?"

"Compliments and praises," Izuku said. He had to be careful with what he asked for. He'd hooked Kacchan with the game bribe, but Izuku didn't want to push it. "A few specifics, like how you said my hair was nice and how I've improved, but some generic phrases are also. Um. Good."

"Like?"

"Saying that I'm good," Izuku said. He couldn't finish the rest of the phrase and cleared his throat. "Or just good at things. In general. You know. Like. For that."

"Yeah, that," Kacchan said, knowing full well what Izuku wanted this for and refusing to say it. "I still don't want to know."

He kept staring at the game and Izuku watched his resolve crumble.

"How often do you want to do this?" Kacchan asked. "Because there's not much point in taking this game if I never have time to play it."

"I'd rather have a recording," Izuku said. He sat on the bed and pulled his legs up. "Since I don't think you actually want to be there when I, well, you know. Use it."

(Not that Izuku would be upset if Kacchan did, of course.)

Plus, with a recording, Izuku could pause and rewind and play it at his leisure. Izuku hugged his knees and felt his heart beat faster. The real deal was the best, but there were benefits to technology that he knew Kacchan would never play along with.

"Don't tell me any details," Kacchan said, staring at the box. He popped open the case and stared at the disc before dropping his head back. He closed his eyes and breathed in. "Deal. I'll bring it tomorrow."

He shoved the game in his bag and Izuku fell back grinning.

"You tell anyone about this and you're going to regret it," Kacchan said, face red. "Do you hear me?"

"I won't tell anyone," Izuku said. "Promise."

"Good."

"Good."

Kacchan slammed the door as he saw himself out and Izuku giggled, rolling over onto his side.

Izuku knew this was moving too fast, but he felt giddy enough that it didn't matter. Kacchan had agreed and Izuku would savor every moment.


	3. Chapter 3

_Deku's boldness comes from knowing this fic was going to be short. Who has time to draw things out when you've only three chapters to get to the point? XD_

 _Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this fun little fic. :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Kacchan shoved a slim, hand-held voice recorder into Izuku's hands as he walked by on his way to his desk without looking at Izuku or commenting. They both knew what it was. He'd taped a folded piece of paper to the front on top of the headphones wrapped around the recorder.

Izuku flipped up the page and read "Don't listen to this until tonight when you're alone."

That sounded promising.

Kacchan pulled out his materials for their first class, face blank with his usual morning expression. It gave nothing away to what might be on the contents of the recording and Izuku bit his lip as he shoved the voice recorder in his backpack.

The evening couldn't come soon enough.

Izuku barely made it through classes and the rest of the day as the voice recorder tempted Izuku from his bag. The headphones were a cruel, mocking gift that gave Izuku the option to sneak in a listen during lunch or between breaks.

But the note said to wait, so Izuku would wait.

* * *

Izuku locked his dorm room door and pulled off his uniform jacket and tie. His heart pumped against his ribs as his trembling fingers undid the buttons of his shirt. Izuku changed in the dark, swapping his school uniform for a t-shirt and boxers as the giddy feeling of excitement stretched from his head to his toes. He grabbed the voice recorder out of his backpack and hopped onto his bed, bouncing on the top comforter.

He put the headphones on and spread out along his mattress, putting his head on the pillow and drawing his knees up.

Izuku counted to ten to prepare himself and pressed the "play" button.

"So, useless little Deku wants to hear he's a good boy," Kacchan started. Izuku listened to his tongue click as his classmate snorted. "Why am I not surprised? I had to research for this, so even if you did pay me, you better appreciate it."

He covered his mouth, hiding his grin from himself in the empty room. Kacchan never did anything halfway—why would this be any different?

"You want to know what you're really good at? Being a pain in the ass. You're the greatest at that without question. No one gets under my skin as well as you do and no one makes my blood boil faster."

Izuku choked out a laugh and his chest hurt from tightening. Kacchan had found a loophole and that was so like him, Izuku couldn't be angry. He set the voice recorder next to him on the pillow and crossed his hands over his chest.

He could replace the ends of the phrases and keep the good parts if he needed to, but for now, he couldn't help but want to hear what else Kacchan had recorded.

"You're also amazing at getting yourself in trouble. I'm in awe every time you find a new way to recklessly charge in or break another limb trying to master that Quirk of yours. You're very dedicated."

Izuku counted that as Kacchan's way of saying he worried about Izuku—which was a rather sweet thing to include.

"What else, what else? Oh, yes. You're very good at getting into trouble, but you like the rush it brings, so it all works out. You're good at making sure things turn out in your favor, I'll give you that."

That one had almost been genuine.

Izuku closed his eyes and smiled. He could picture the curve of Kacchan's lips as he spoke and the way he held himself. The tilt of his head and the shift of his choppy hair as he exaggerated each phrase.

The recording was nice, but it made Izuku want to see him say these things in person some time, too.

"But that's enough of that, isn't it Izuku?"

His name.

Izuku's eyes shot open and he stared at the ceiling. He hadn't expected that.

"Did I get your attention?"

Kacchan certainly had.

"You were so generous and clever with that bribe of yours to get this recording, that I should make sure you get your money's worth. Calling you by an insult defeats the purpose of praise, doesn't it?"

Izuku clutched at his shirt.

"Uraraka misunderstood the name and you rebranded it, but we both know what 'Deku' means when I'm the one saying it."

Izuku shifted on the mattress, pressing his knees together. He put his hand over his mouth and pressed his lips hard into his palm.

"But you deserve better, don't you, Izuku? I intend to deliver, so I hope you're ready to be treated right."

Kacchan's voice turned husky and low. He whispered into the microphone, changing the tone into something gentler.

Izuku may have gotten in over his head.

"You really are improving beyond anything I could have expected. When I compare you now to when you were in middle school, you've gotten much better at following through with those big plans of yours. You're making friends, you're working hard, and you've even gotten good enough at hand-to-hand to make me put in the extra effort to stay on top.

"You worked hard for that, Izuku. You did so well—well enough that even All Might is proud of you. I can see it on his face whenever he looks at you. You don't even see it half the time, but it makes me jealous how proud he is of you.

"Izuku, you're amazing and only getting better."

"Kacchan," Izuku whispered. He felt the tears gathering on the side of his eyes. His heart felt full to bursting.

The praises didn't stop there, as Kacchan shifted the topic from something sentimental to something more appropriate for what Izuku had originally asked for.

"Outside of those successes, though, you do have a lot going for you all on your own. Your hair, for example."

Izuku held his breath.

"I do, really, really like it. The wavy curls felt amazing to touch the other day. Every time I see you I want to run my fingers through it and I was not disappointed with how soft it felt."

Kacchan could touch Izuku's head any time he wanted. He wasn't the only one who had enjoyed that and Izuku could still imagine the feel of Kacchan's fingers.

"Your hair has nothing on your freckles though. You have so few but each one is adorable on your cheeks. You can punch through a wall and terrify villains with your fury, but still look so innocent and adorable when you put your mind to it—that is an achievement."

Izuku felt his cheeks heat. He touched the top of a freckle, closing his eyes again and pretended a warmer hand was the one to do so.

"You're as good as you look, aren't you?"

He went back to holding his chest.

"I bet you'd look even better presenting yourself properly. You've got the perfect body for a nice suit, or maybe a tight pair of pants. You're adorable and hide it all the time in those cheap t-shirts. But for me? I know you'd be good for me." Kacchan lowered his voice. "You'd do everything I asked you to, wouldn't you?"

Izuku had absolutely gotten in over his head.

"Why don't we test it out? Let's see just how much praise you can earn. Impress me, not that I need to tell you to. You're smart enough to know what I want."

Izuku put a hand between his legs. He might as well be drowning with how Kacchan had stolen his breath.

"I won't even need and check to make sure you did the things I'm about to ask," Kacchan said, pausing. He chuckled into the microphone and Izuku's knees felt weak. If he'd been standing, he surely would have collapsed. "You're far too good to disobey me."

Izuku bit his fingers on one hand while the other paid attention to a new, pressing problem.

He could hear Kacchan's breathing on the microphone grow heavy as he paused. Izuku filled in the source with his own imagination.

"Are you going to be good?"

Izuku nodded.

"I know you are, Izuku."

His name again.

"You've always been too good for me."

Izuku let the rest of the tape play out, his heart a wreck and body needy.

Kacchan took very, very good care of him.

* * *

"Did you get your money's worth?" Kacchan asked as Izuku sat next to him at lunch. He'd been too flustered all morning to say a word to Kacchan, avoiding him with blushing cheeks and no words that felt even remotely enough to get across what he was feeling. Kacchan had noticed with a knowing smirk. "The game holds up great, by the way. It's every bit as much fun as I thought it'd be."

"You sold yourself too cheap," Izuku said, still half in a daze. He stared at the table top and couldn't find his appetite while his stomach harbored a swarm of butterflies. Kacchan's voice had ruined him. "Way, way, too cheap."

"You're just too easy," Kacchan said. "I can read you like a book, twerp."

"It was appreciated," Izuku said. He glanced at Kacchan and asked, "And what about you? Did you get anything out of all that?"

"A video game," Kacchan said. His words had said 'no' but his eyes and smirk said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He did.

Izuku very much did.

He was pretty sure they'd crossed a line past a regular friendship somewhere in all this and he intended to make sure it stayed that way.

"Do you want to go out later?" Izuku asked. Kacchan turned toward him and Izuku bit his lip. "I want to show you in person just how good I was at following your instructions last night."

Izuku was rewarded with a dusting of pink on Kacchan's cheek as he looked away.

He went for the kill.

"We'll compare how close your imagination got to the real thing," Izuku said. He leaned over and whispered, "I promise to do everything in my power to be better then whatever was in your head when you came up with that recording."

"Tonight's good," Kacchan said, voice higher than usually. He cleared his throat and stabbed his food. "While it's all still fresh in my mind."

"I look forward to it," Izuku said. He pulled over his lunch tray, chest light and happy. Kacchan kept blushing and Izuku wanted to see him turn redder later.

He'd suffer for it when Kacchan got ahold of himself and realized he was being teased, but it'd be worth it.

"What's with the red faces?" Kaminari said, taking a seat across from them. Kirishima joined him and they looked between Izuku and Kacchan with a confused look. "Are you two picking on each other again?"

"Something like that," Kacchan muttered.

Izuku clapped his hands together. "Oh!"

"What?" Kacchan asked.

"Kaminari, you owe Kacchan his money for the bet," Izuku said.

"No," Kaminari said. He pointed at Izuku and said, "We came to the conclusion that it didn't count because it turned out he was in fact being mean by pretending to be nice and therefore failed."

Izuku looked at Kacchan out of the corner of his eye and bit his lip. "After I thought about it some more, I decided that the bet itself was the mean part and Kacchan had indeed been very nice and we're dating now, so I'd say he fulfilled his half better than even he expected."

Kacchan choked on his food and Kirishima snorted under his breath.

"You're what?" Kaminari said.

"Dating," Izuku said. He clapped his hands together again and nodded. "He said he'd go out with me, which means we're dating."

"I'm adding 'being a brat' to the list of things you're good at," Kacchan said, dropping his head on the table. He held his hand out across the table and glared at Kaminari. "Pay up. Now you owe me for the bet and the trouble it caused."

"I don't think getting a boyfriend counts as trouble," Kirishima said. "That's usually a good thing."

"It's trouble when the boyfriend is Deku," Kacchan said.

Izuku reached over and patted Kacchan on the arm. "Don't worry, Kacchan. I'll make sure it's worth your while."

"You might have to pay up," Kirishima said to Kaminari. "They're not going to let this drop."

"Yeah, about that," Kaminari said. He rubbed the back of his neck and winced. "I already spent the money on a new pair of headphones for Jirou. I guess you were nice for the sake of being nice and got a boyfriend instead of money!"

"What! You don't even have the cash?" Kacchan slammed his palms on the table and stood up snarling. "You're dead."

"Look at the time! I've got to go!" Kaminari abandoned his lunch and sprinted out of the lunchroom.

Kacchan chased him fast on his heels, his Quirk sparking and smoking the entire way.

"Bakugou, huh?" Kirishima asked. He shot Izuku a knowing look and said, "I should have seen that coming."

"Oh?"

"The dorm room walls are a lot thinner than Bakugou thinks they are," Kirishima said, winking. He took a bite of a steamed bun and chewed with a chuckle. "Keep that in mind later, but don't tell him I told you that. He might literally combust in embarrassment if he knows I overheard some of the things he said the other night."

Kacchan would be fine. At the end of the day, he can admit he got bribed into it.

Izuku was the one embarrassed, but at least he knew and could make sure they were quiet tonight. Kirishima was a good friend to look out for them like this. He covered his face and said, "Thanks."

"Any time, buddy," Kirishima said. He reached over and patted Izuku on the shoulder. "Sorry to leave, but I need to go save Kaminari from my best friend."

Izuku waved and smiled at the empty table full of half-eaten lunches. He could go over and sit with Uraraka and Iida, but he had a better idea of how to spend the last half of his lunch.

He cleaned up everyone's trays and whistled as he snuck out the back of the cafeteria. Izuku found a private spot to settle outside near a tree and relaxed. He popped his head phones on and clicked the play button on the voice recorder.

Izuku had some studying to do if he was going to impress Kacchan tonight.

Empty praise wasn't nearly as nice as the genuine thing.

Izuku was going to make sure every word out of Kacchan's voice was the real deal.

He'd earned it.


End file.
